Apparatus for continuously treating textile fabrics



June 25, 1968 NARUKAZU oKAzAKl ETAL 3,389,584

I APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS Filed Apil 4,y 195e s sheets-sheet 1 l Z f7 /4 FW l 7l l /VARuKAzu Omznm,

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INVENTORS June 25, 1968 NARUKAZU oKAzAKl ETAL. 3,389,584

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1966 June 25, 1968 NARUKAZU OKAzAKl ETAL 3,389,584

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 4, 1966 INVENToRs l BY W r United States Patent O 3,389,584 APPARATUS FOR CNTINUOUSLY TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS Narukazu Okazalri and Hiroshi Azuma, Walrayama-shi,

Japan, assgnors to Wakayama Tetsuko Kabushiki Kai- J sha, Walrayama-shi, Japan Filed Apr. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 539,763 Claims priority, application Japan, Apr. 13, 1965, 40/21,960; Apr. 30, 1965, 40/25,695; Feb. 16, 1966, 41/9,593; Feb. 28, 1966, 41/12,494

s claims. (ci. ca -177) 10 ABSTRACT GF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying various chemical treatments such as desizing, ref`1ning, bleaching and dying to textile fabrics.

Various forms of apparatuses intended for the aforesaid object have been known. But they are large in size, particularly in height, and expensive. Moreover, they have other disadvantages in that during treating operation, continuous fabrics are damaged and become wrinkled when drawn out.

The invention eliminates the aforesaid disadvantages and provi-des improvements in such apparatus.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus of the type referred to above which is small in size, particularly in height, simple in construction and moderate in cost. Another object .of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the type referred to above wherein the amount of a continuous fabric accommodated per volume of the apparatus is large and the time of stay in a fabric stay chamber is rather long for the configuration of the apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the type referred to above free from the danger of damaging7 a fabric in a fabric stay chamber or spoiling the creases of the fabric. Still a further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the type referred to above wherein a textile fabric supplied is shaken olf and folded to form a stack of predetermined thickness by means of two guide bars rotating at uniform speed in such a manner as to prevent the shaken-off fabric from coiling around the guide bars. Another object of the invention is to provide a horizontal fabric stack, dropping mechanism whereby a fabric stack is dropped while maintained horizontal from a feeder in a fabric stay chamber onto another fabric stack floating in a solution bath so that such fabric stacks are placed one upon another in good condition, thus preventing the fabric from twisting, laterally moving and tearing when it is being drawn out. Still a further object of the invention is to provide means whereby even if a fabric stack which is sinking in a solution bath is tilted it can be immediately corrected to assume a proper condition so that the fabric is constantly led out in proper condition, thus precluding the possibility that the fabric, when drawn out, tends to -be deviated from its course to become wrinkled or roped,

Patented June 25, 1968 and thus assuring that the fabric is led out from the bath very smoothly.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic front view, in longitudinal section, of a continuous textile fabric treating apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic front view, in longitudinal section, of another example of continuous textile fabric treating apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic partial plan view of a fabric feeder installed in a fabric stay chamber;

FIGS. 4 through 18 illustrate a fabric shaking-off mechanisrn;

FIG. 4 being a diagrammatic plan view;

FIG. 5 being a diagrammatic side view;

FIG. 6 being an enlarged diagrammatic fron-t view of an assembly comprising two guide bars; and

FIGS. 7 through 18 diagrams showing the manner of shaking olf a continuous textile fabric;

FIG. 19 diagrammatically illustrates a mechanism for dropping a folded fabric stack from the fabric feeder into a solution bath;

FIGS. 20 through 23 illustrate diagrammatically the working conditions thereof;

FIG. 24 is a perspective View of a fabric handling mechanism for continuously leading out the fabric stacked in the solution bath; and

FIG. 25 is a partially diagrammatic front View, in longitudinal section, of the fabric dropping and handling mechanisms of FIG. 1, also illustrating a modified form of outlet from the apparatus.

A continuous fabric treating apparatus according to the present invention comprises a continuous fabric stay mechanism 1, including an intermittent feeder, a continuous fabric 4shaking-off mechanism 2 for sha-king a continuous fabric being supplied so as to fold and stack it with a predetermined width, a mechanism 3 for dropping such fabric stacks into a solution bath, and a fabric handling mechanism 4 for smoothly leading out the fabric stacks in the solution bath successively with the lowermost one first, all of the said mechanisms being installed in a sealed housing 5. A textile fabric 6 to be treated enters the sealed housing through an inlet 7 and leaves it through Ian outlet l8. The intermittent feeder 10 comprising a large number of feed rollers 9 and 19 is installed in the sealed housing. The rollers 9 are positively rotated for a predetermined period of time, while the rollers 19 are rotatably supported. These rollers are alternately arranged. The apparatus shown in FIG. l is a fundamental apparatus of the invention, and the intermittent feeder 10 is of the single step type. But in an apparatus shown in FIG. 2, there are intermittent feeders 10', 10" arranged in two steps. The details of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 will be later described. In FIG. 1, the fabric led in through the inlet is dropped from. the upper part of the sealed housing onto the intermittent feeder 1li by means of the continuous textile fabric shaking-off mechanism 2 so that it is folded and stacked on the intermittent feeder 1t), as shown, when a stack of fabric attains a predetermined height, all the feed rollers are simultaneously rotated so that the `stack is transported to the right. When it is thus moved for a distance greater than the width of the stack, the feed rollers are simultaneously stopped. The simultaneous rotation of the feed rollers is effected by endless chains 11, 11. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, chain wheels 12, 12 are secured to the cnd shafts 9', 9 of the respective feed rollers, and the endless chains 11 are passed around the chain wheels. With the arrangement thus made, it is seen that when the endless chains are intermittently driven in one direction by suitable means, as indicated by the drive shaft 11a, the juxtaposed rollers 9 are simultaneously rotated at uniform speed in an intermittent manner, so that the stack on the intermittent feeder comprising the feed rollers is intermittently moved. After the stack of fabric is thus moved, the fabric which is continuously dropped is shaken off to form another stack. In this way, each time the juxtaposed feed rollers are simultaneously rotated, the stacks of fabric folded to a predetermined height are transported to the right as viewed in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 2, the intermittent feeders 10', l0 are arranged to form ltwo steps, respectively comprising upper and lower sets` of rollers in the form shown. In this case, a continuous textile Ifabric which is continuously supplied is folded at the right end of the upper intermittent feeder to form a stack, which is then transported to the left `as viewed in the ligure. Whe-n such stacks of fabric successively reach the left end, they are successively placed on a support table 13 vertically swingable around a shaft 80. The support table 'also has a number of juxtaposed feed rollers journaled therein constituting a thi-rd set of rollers in the lform shown and adapted to receive and transfer a stack of folded fabric by means of endless chains (not shown) adapted to be intermittently rotated. That is, when Ithe support table is upwardly swung to assume its upper position shown in chain lines in FIG. 2 so that the free e-nd of the support table is in touch with the adjacent end of the upper intermittent feeder, the respective feed rollers of the upper intermittent feeder are simultaneously rotated whereby the stack of fabric thereon is transferred to the support table, whereupon the latter is downwardly swung to assume its lower position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2. Simultaneously therewith, the feed rollers of the support ltab-le are rotated to transfer the stack of fabric thereon to the lower intermittent feeder, whereupon the feed rollers of the latter are rotated to transport `the stack of fabric to the right for a predetermined distance. The |lower intermittent feeder is similar in structure to the upper intermittent feeder except for the direction of the rotation of the feed rollers. That is, it is so constructed as to transport stacks of fabric thereon from le-ft to right. Further, it is so arranged that lthe rotation of the feed rollers of the upper intermitttent feeder, the up and down swing movement of the support table, and the rotation of the feed rollers of the 'lower intermittent feeder may be effected in proper timing relation to each other. The stack of fabric thus transported by the intermittent feeder to the terminal e-nd of the latter is discharged by means of the mechanism 3 int-o a solution bath 14 at the bottom of the sealed housing and the drawing-out of the stack is controlled by lthe mechanism 4 and taken out to the outside via guide rollers 15, 16 and 17 through the outlet 8 to be transported to a subsequent process. In case of desizing operation, a stack of fabric will be irnmersed in a desizing liquid including enzyme contained in a treating bath, and after being squeezed, it is passed into the sealed housing which, in this case, contains hot water. Further, in case of refining operation, the treating bath is filled with a refining liquid consisting mainly of caustic soda, While the solution 'bath is filled with hot water. In case of bleaching operation, the treating bath is filled with a ibleaching liquid, while theI solution bath is filled with hot water. In any lof the cited cases, such stack of fabric is allowed to stay in the sealed housing for several minutes to several tens of minutes and thereafter dropped into the solution bath and before it sinks to the bottom, it will be transferred to a subsequent process along the guide rollers. Further, the time of stay of the stack of fabric in the sealed housing can be adjusted as require-d by adjusting the traveling speed of the chains.

The arrangement of the continuous fabric shaking-olf mechanism 2 provided in the sealed housing will now be `described with referencey to FIGS. 4 through 18. This mechanism is positioned at one end of and above the intermittent feeder as at Z0, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

A drive shaft 21 is rotated Aby a motor (not shown). Driven shafts 22 and 23 are parallelly journaled in the region 20 of the sealed housing. Chain wheels 24 are secured to the drive shaft and chain wheels 2S are secured to driven shafts 22. Endless chains 26 are passed around these chain wheels 24 and 25. Spur gears 27 and 28 which are of the same diameter and have the same number of teeth are secured to their respective driven shafts and rnes'h with each other Thus, these driven shafts are rotated at the same speed in mutually opposite directions. Eccentric gears 29 and 30 are secured to their respective driven shafts in such a manner that they are out of phase with each other by Rotative shafts 31 and 32 disposed below and in parallel to the driven shafts have eccentric gears 33 and 34 of the same shape secured thereto and meshing with said eccentric gears 29 and 3i). Arms 35 and 36 secured to the driven shafts have guide bars 37 and 38, respectively, secured to their free ends. The arms are so designed that when the eccentric gears 29, 33 and 30, 34 are in a relative position as shown in FIG. 5, their respective guide bars horizontally extend to the right and `assume the origins O and l?, respectively.

With the arrangement thus made, the rotation of the drive shaft causes the driven shafts 22 and 23 to execute uniform rotary motion in mutually opposite directions. However, the rotative shafts below the driven shafts are caused to execute non-uniform rotary motion owing to the eccentric gears. Consequently, their guide bars, of course, are rotated at non-uniform speed. By means of the guide bars, the continuous textile fabric is dropped to the predetermined position, i.e, to the end portion of the intermittent feeder and is folded with a predetermined width and stacked to a predetermined height. This operation will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7 through 18. FIG. 7, two pairs of eccentric gears 29, 33 and 30, 34 are in the relative position shown in FIG. 5, where the two guide 'bars `assume the origins O and P, respectively. In this condition, if the driven shafts are rotated each in the direction of arrow, the-ir respective guide bars are rotated each in the direction of arrow at non-uniform speed. That is, in FIG. 7 the speed of the guide bar 38 gradually decreases during the course from point P to point P', the minimum speed being reached at point P. Then, it gradually increases during the course from point P to P, the maximum speed being reached at point P. On the other hand, the speed of the other guide bar 37 is minimum at point O and the-n gradually increases as point O' is reached where it attains its maximum, and thenceforth it gradually decreases as point O is reached. These two bars have the same period of rotation. FIGS. 7 through 18 illustrate the instantaneous relative positions of the bars, where one period of rotation is divided into twelve equal parts. As shown in FIG. 9, the guide bar 38 is brought into contact with a Continous fabric at point P"' 'and is thenceforth maintained in Contact therewith until it reaches point P" shown in FIG. 15, during which it folds the fabric at the right-hand side. During this phase of operation, the other guide bar 37 is rotated in the opposite direction at gradually increasing speed until it reaches point 0 as shown in FIG. 15, whereupon it is brought into contact with the fabric 'and is thenceforce maintained in contact therewith until it reaches point O as shown in FIGS. 15 through 18 and 7 through 9, so that it shakes the fabric at the left-hand side in the opposite direction thereby to fold it with said predetermined width. When the guide bar 37 has just reached point O", the other guide bar 38 reaches point P as shown in FIGS. 15 through 18 and 7 through 9, and thenceforth both guide bars repeat the above-mentioned phases of operation. In short, each time the two guide bars execute one complete revolution, the fabric is shaken olf right and left with the predetermined width.

As a result of the above-mention arrangement, there is no need of positively rotating such guide bars around their own axes at the free ends of the arms for positively delivering a fabric, so that the structure is simplified and moreover, since the lguide bars only push the fabric on either side, there is no possibility that the fabric coils around the guide bars during operation, thus assuring the smooth shaking-off operation. This is particularly ad vantageous to an apparatus wherein the temperature in the sealed housing is high. That is, where the temperature in the sealed housing is not high, even if a continuous fabric should coil around a shaking-off body it is possible for the operator to enter the housing and easily unwind it. On the other hand, it is impossible to unwind it in a high temperature sealed housing. It is thus a marked feature of the invention that a continuous fabric cannot coil around the guide bars. Further, since the two guide bars execute non-uniform motion and the guide bar which has left the fabric will return to the origin at high speed, the two guide bars have no play or dead time in the shaking-off operation, thus assuring the reliable shakingoff operation of the continuous fabric.

Reference will now be given to the structure and function of the mechanism 3 with reference to FIGS. 19 through 23 which allows a stack of fabric to be maintained in horizontal condition while it is being dropped from the intermittent feeder to the solution bath (or a horizontal plate). This mechanism comprises a support structure 40 provided at one en-d of the intermittent feeder and above the solution bath. The support structure consists of a support roller 41 adapted to assume at a predetermined time its right position at the right end of the intermittent feeder and move horizontally, an arm lever 43 adapted to swing at a predetermined time around a pin 42 and a weight 44 provided at the upper end of the armlever. Thus, the support structure is in balanced condition, while the support roller is in light contact with the right end of the intermittent feeder. A receiving plate 81 for stacks of fabric is provided on the right surface of the arm lever. With the arrangement thus made, as shown Iin FIG. 20 the right end of the right-most stack of fabric is received on the support roller, with the right end surface of the stack pressed against the receiving plate and thus prevented from further projecting. As shown, in FIG. 20, the pressing force then causes the receiving plate to be pushed to the right by overcoming the balancing force of the weight, and simultaneously the support roller is pivoted to the right around the pin while supporting the stack at the lower right end thereof. In this case, since the stack of fabric is in wet condition and is large in thickness, there is no possibility of causing the buckling thereof. When the stack of fabric is moved further to the right, the portions of the mechanism for movement with the pin as fulcrum become lower in linear velocity according as their distance from the support roller become long, so that the upper right end portion of the stack of fabric is pushed back by the receiving plate and the lower right end portion is in a state of nearly slipping olf the support roller, as shown in FIG. 22. On the other hand, the lower left end portion of said stack of fabric being conveyed by the intermittent feeder just at this time reaches the right end of the intermittent feeder, and at last the right and left ends of the stack leave the intermittent feeder and the support roller at substantially the same time, so that the stack of fabric, While being maintained horizontal, falls down into the solution bath. Thereafter, as shown in FlG. 23, the stack of fabric horizontally floats in the solution bath, and the support roller again balances with the weight so that it is brought into light contact with the right end of the intermittent feeder, thus being ready for the subsequent dropping operation. Accordingly, many stacks of fabric can be placed one upon another in the solution bath, and even if a subsequent stack of fabric is dropped onto such preceding stacks, the bath of the fabrics will not be disturbed, precluding the possibility of causing inconveniences such as the twisting,

t5 lateral moving and tearing of the fabric at the time of drawing out.

Reference will now be given to the structure of the fabric handling mechanism 4 with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25 which serves to continuously lead. out the folded and stacked continuous fabric in the solution bath through the bottom of the latter. The solution bath has been filled with a liquid 50, longitudinal frames 51 and 52 provided within the solution bath have a large number of parallelly disposed longitudinal rods 53 and 54 secured thereto, respectively, and are opposed to each other within the solution bath 14 with a distance therebetween which is slightly greater than the width of the stack of fabric 6, 55 and 56 designate side plates., The stacks of folded fabric are intermittently dropped into a box-like space 71 surrounded by the longitudinal frames 51, 52 and side plates 55, 56. In addition, since the longitudinal frames are each constructed of many spaced longitudinal rods, there is no possibility that the circulation of the solution is hindered by such longitudinal frames. Fabric handling rods 57 and 5S are disposed in the lower part of the box-like space and parallelly supported in close proximity to each other. More particularly, they are supported by arm plates 61, 61 and 62, 62 projecting from shafts 59 and 60, respectively, and are adapted to be free to move vertically. A lever 63 provided, above the solution bath, is vertically swingable around a shaft 64. 'Pivoted to the left end of said lever is a longitudinal connecting rod 65 having connecting rods 66 and 67 pivoted to the lower end thereof as at 72, the lower ends of said connecting rods 66 and 67 being pivoted to the arm plates 61 and 62, respectively. A weight 68 is provided at the other end of the rod, and the size and the position of attachment (arm length) of the weight are so determined as to satisfy the requirement that the weight should `balance with the stack or stacks of fabric in the box-like space shown in solid lines in FIG. 25. As a result of this arrangement, when the stack or stacks in the box-like space are tilted in one direction or the other, the load or weight of the stack or stacks acting on the two fabric handling rods is naturally reduced whereby the rods tend to be parallelly pulled up by the weight .68 until they again contact the upwardly tilted side of the stack or stacks. At this time, the other side of the stack or stacks which has been maintained 1n contact with the fabric handling rods is raised by the latter. Thus, as both sides of the stack or stacks are again contacted with the fabric handling rods, the total weight of the stack or stacks again acts on the fabric handling rods, so that the position shown in solid lines in FG. 25 1s reassumed. In short, the tilting of the stack or stacks in the widthwise direction within the box-like space is sensitively detected, and automatically corrected whenever it takes place. In addition, as shown, between each of the fabric handling rods and its pivot shaft there are several transverse frame rods 69, 70 secured thereto, lightly receiving the stack or stacks in the box-like space from below. As mentioned above, the stack or stacks received in the box-like space are passed through the clearance defined between the two fabric handling rods and over the guide rollers 1S, 16 and 17 and finally drawn out to the outside through the outlet 8a, a modied form of outlet 8 of FlG. 1. Therefore, the entire width of the fabric can be always smoothly guided without being deviated from its course to become gathered or wrinkled.

While the preferred forms of the invention have been shown and described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the same is not so limited but shal-l cover and include any and `all modifications of the invention which fall within the scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A continuous fabric treating apparatus comprising:

(a) intermittently operated feeding means for conveying stacks of fabric `folded with a predetermined width,

(b) continuous fabric shaking-off means for folding a supplied continuous fabric with a predetermined width by shaking it in right and left directions to form a stack of fabric on a predetermined part of the intermittently operated feeding means,

(c) means for holding a solution bath below said interimittent'ly operated feeding mean-s,

(d) means for dropping the stack of fabric on the intermittently operated .feeding means into said solution bath while the stack is maintained in horizontal position,

(e) fabric handling means for leading out fabric from the stack or stacks in the solution bath smoothly through the bottom of the solution bath in such a manner as to stretch the fabric over the entire width thereof, andv (f) a housing for accommodating all the aforesaid means,

(g) said intermittenly operated feeding means comprising .a number of parallelly journaled feed rollers and being horizontally mounted in the sealed housing, and

(h) said apparatus comprising means for rotating said feed rollers intermittently to convey the stacks f fabric on the intermittently operated feeding means for a lixed distance, so that the fabric is gradually moved in a predetermined direction while it is in stacked condition.

2. A continuous fabric treating apparatus `as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

(i) said intermittently operated feeding means comprises two sets of such feed `rollers parallelly disposed in vertically spaced relation in the sealed housing and further comprises (j) support table means for stacks of fabric consisting of a third set of movably mounted feed rollers and (k) means for moving said support table means up and down at predetermined times,

(l) said support table means being disposed on the side opposite to the fabric feeding side and between said upper and lower intermittently operated feeding means, said support table serving to transfer the stacks of fabric on the upper intermittently operated feeding means to the lower intermittently operated feeding means.

3. A continuous fabric feeding apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein:

(i) said fabric shaking off means comprises two guide bars rotating at non-uniform speed positioned to alternate-ly contact in opposite directions with both side surfaces of part of a continuous fabric running down into the sealed housing, said guide bars imparting a swinging movement of fixed extent to the continuous fabric running down into the housing thereby folding and stacking the fabric on a predetermined part of the intermittently operated feeding means.

4. A continuous fabric treating apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein:

(i) said apparatus further comprises a support structure having a support roller adapted to be moved in a substantially horizontal direction and juxtaposed to the foremost end of the outlet side of the intermittently operated feeding means conveying stacks of fabric, whereby when a stack cf fabric on the intermittently operated feeding means is conveyed to the outlet side and is about to be dropped, one end of the llower portion of the stack of fabric beginning to leave the intermittently operated feeding means is supported by the support roller, and causes the support structure to move the support roller outwardly at a speed related to the conveying speed of the intermittently operated feeding means so that as soon as the other end of the stack of fabric supported on the intermittently operated feeding means leaves the foremost end of the latter, said one end of the stack of fabric is caused to leave the support roller of the support structure, whereby thestack of fabric is dropped while being maintained in horizontal position. v c

5. A continuous fabric treating apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein:

(i) said apparatus further comprises a pair of fabric `handling bars disposed horizontally Vand each adapted to be moved up and down around a pivot, said handling bars being disposed in the lower part of the solution bath so as to define a small clearance between the fabric handling bars, and wherein (j) said apparatus further comprises a weight acting on said fabric handling bars, which balances in a predetermined condition with the total weight of a stack or stacks of fabric acting on the fabric handling bars and (k) said fabric handling bars being mounted in a oating condition so as to be moved up and down in the solution in response to a slight change in Weight, whereby when the stack of fabric is tiltedin its widthwise direction to upset the balance, the two fabric handling bars are pulled up so as to constantly and lightly support the stack of fabric on both sides by the two fabric handling bars,

(l) said leading out `means continuously leading out the lower portion of the stack of fabric from the bottom thereof through the clearance between said fabric handling bars.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner. IRVING BUNEVICH, Examiner. 

